


Best Place

by replaydebut



Category: K-pop, SHINee
Genre: Alternate Universe, Domestic Bliss, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, New Year's Kiss, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:41:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22055725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/replaydebut/pseuds/replaydebut
Summary: Before the new year begins, just let me know.
Relationships: Kim Jonghyun/Lee Jinki | Onew
Comments: 12
Kudos: 34





	Best Place

**Author's Note:**

> felt sentimental and thoughtful today...and also didn't feel up to working on any of my wips..so I wrote this instead and figured it would be nice to share <3 
> 
> thank you to anyone who has read any of my fics this year. i've grown so much as a writer and im overwhelmed with appreciation for the shinee fic community, and all the great things we've done together this year. no words can express my gratitude..i hope to continue loving shinee and writing fic for years to come...to produce even greater stories as i keep working hard; learning and growing
> 
> please enjoy, even if it is a bit short~ title is ofc from Best Place by shinee <3
> 
> oh and there's a small surprise in the fic that i didn't tag for ^^

  


  


Jonghyun shuffles into the apartment, pulling his coat over his face to ward off the late December cold, and toeing off his shoes in the entryway. Inside, there’s warmth. It spills out from the kitchen where Jinki wears an apron and the smell of hot, spicy stew is brimming with life and flavor from the stove. He smiles.

Jonghyun comes up behind him, wrapping his arms around Jinki’s body and pulling him close. He smells like sharp spices and sesame oil, with the barest hint of clean cologne underneath. He tickles the back of his ear with his lips. 

“Suddenly I have my own personal chef,” Jonghyun whispers, a laugh tumbling out of his mouth.

Jinki turns around with a grin and kisses Jonghyun’s cheek. “Don’t get too used to it.”

“I really could, you know.”

There’s a rhythmic clacking noise from down the hall followed by a familiar series of sniffles. Roo waddles out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, circling Jonghyun’s feet with excited little barks. He coos and leans down. 

“Someone missed me, hm?” He says gently, crouching down to scratch behind her ears and place a kiss on her head. She wiggles her butt and licks happily at his cheeks and nose. 

Jonghyun laughs and tries to appease her with more pets, but she goes straight for his mouth and he tumbles onto his back on the hardwood floor. His laughter only gives her better access, and he admits defeat as he lets her lick all over his face and pant into his mouth with her stinky dog breath.

“Now you’ll have to brush your teeth before you get your New Years’ kiss,” Jinki teases, raising an eyebrow as Roo curls up on Jonghyun’s chest in satisfaction.

Jonghyun rubs one of Roo’s velvety ears through his fingers, a playful smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “No, you have to share me with her. You knew it was like that before we started dating.”

Jinki laughs in acknowledgement and turns back to the stew. Jonghyun continues petting Roo as he watches the line of Jinki’s back in his crisp striped dress shirt. His plain black apron is stylish, and it hugs Jinki’s frame just right, accentuating his narrow waist and shapely hips. Jonghyun smiles. His indoor shoes are old and worn out, fuzzy material with white and pink polka dots.

The year is coming to a close, settling around them like crisp fall leaves or sweet pink cherry blossoms, floating through the wind to kiss their cheeks and shoulders gently before scattering on the ground. Jonghyun fondly remembers walks through Han Gang Park with Jinki, tugging Roo along on her leash in her best yellow sweater. He remembers Jinki’s promotion at the interior design firm, leading the way for the remodeling of their kitchen and bedroom. 

He remembers the first time they had sex in the new king-sized bed, Jonghyun’s favorite candles lit on the bedside tables and a crooning R&B record playing softly in the corner. He’d held Jinki in his lap and felt his kisses down his neck and chest, heating up his skin all the way through until he’d burst with love and euphoria that washed over them both in a cascading wave.

He remembers his sister’s new beauty shop opening up in their neighborhood, and buying Kibum a bb cream from there as a birthday present. He remembers Jinki attempting to teach Taemin how to make yukgaejang, and all the laughter that had permeated their apartment on that day. 

He remembers Minho and Kibum’s wedding; one of the loveliest days of the whole year. Jonghyun had sung one of their favorite songs, happy tears falling quietly down his cheeks as they swayed on the dancefloor, some undefined magic following their feet with every step they took as they gazed into each other’s eyes.

He remembers publishing his novel after so much time. He remembers the way his hands shook as he wrote out the very last line, and the tears that had fallen on the page when he held the physical copy in his hands for the first time. At the book signing, he shook each reader’s hand and sincerely let them know how much it meant for his words to be heard. 

“It’s done,” Jinki says triumphantly, pulling Jonghyun out of his little daydream as he fiddles with the stove and turns the burner off.

Jinki sets the pot of stew on a hot pad at the dining table, and Jonghyun hops up. Roo follows him and sits obediently by his socked feet, warming him up even more. He scoops some stew into his bowl, and dips a spoonful of rice in before he takes a bite. It’s hot and filling, spreading all through his bones the way Jinki’s cooking always does.

“Thank you,” Jonghyun says quietly, watching Jinki through the light steam swirling up from the pot.

Jinki just smiles, and it’s the most familiar sight. Every time he sees it, it envelopes Jonghyun in a caring embrace, full of an understanding that runs deep and connects the both of them in an unbreakable bond. He feels like he could explode into a shower of light, blooming around the two of them and pulling them together until their hearts become one.

“The new year starts in 15 minutes,” Jinki says. “Any resolutions?”

Jonghyun smirks. “You know how I feel about those.”

“They force us into trying to make a year good and productive, when truly you can never predict how a year will go and it’s full of ups and downs anyway,” Jinki recites a philosophy Jonghyun has espoused nearly every year, often a little drunk as he does it.

“That’s right,” Jonghyun says with a giggle. Jinki reaches across the table and squeezes his hand. 

“But, really, do you have one?” Jinki continues, leaning in closer. His eyes suddenly look serious, deep and dark and shaking with a hidden emotion.

Jonghyun takes a deep breath, eyebrows drawing together in curiosity. “What? Do you have one?”

Jinki nods, and comes around the table. Even Roo has picked her head up from where she’d laid it down on Jonghyun’s foot. Her ears are attentive, mimicking Jonghyun’s wide-eyed expression as he looks up. Jinki runs a hand through Jonghyun’s hair, his thumb coming to rest on his cheekbone. 

“I wanna marry you this year,” Jinki admits, voice barely above a whisper but ringing in Jonghyun’s ears like an eternal song. 

“Lee Jinki—”

Jinki shakes his head. “It’s not an official proposal yet. I’ll get the ring and everything, and it will be a surprise. Something to look forward to.”

Jonghyun’s face crumples immediately, tears already welling up and falling down his face in streaks. Jinki holds his face with two hands, bringing him close until their lips are centimeters away from one another. 

“What do you think about it?”

Jonghyun’s tears intermix with laughter, a hiccup of a sound coming up from his throat and spilling out between them. Jinki’s eyes are sparkling like bright gems, and Jonghyun has never known what to say more than he does in this moment. 

“I think I’ve wanted to marry you since the day we met.”

Jonghyun’s phone buzzes on the table with a “Happy New Year” text from Sodam. It’s midnight, and Jonghyun shakes in Jinki’s arms as time seems to be born anew in a different way than it ever has before.

“Me too,” Jinki whispers, and his lips find Jonghyun’s as easily as the night they shared their first kiss.

He holds Jonghyun’s face in his hands, tears still spilling and staining their skin, but binding them together with love that’s pure like the first snow of the season, or the blooming of flowers after a spring rain washes everything away. Jonghyun kisses him back until Roo starts barking at his feet, making him and Jinki laugh into each other’s mouths and pull away. 

“See? You have to share,” Jonghyun jokes, sniffling as his tears dry up bit by bit. He picks Roo up and lets her lick them all away.

“That’s okay,” Jinki says rubbing his thumb along Jonghyun’s cheekbone again, and patting Roo on the head with a smile. “She can’t buy a wedding ring.”

Jonghyun giggles and nods. His phone continues to blow up with messages from his friends and family. He picks it up and shakes his head fondly. 

“Ah—should I tell noona at least?” He asks, flicking through the string of playful emoticons she’d sent in their chat. “Or maybe it should be our secret for a while?”

“Whatever you’d like,” Jinki says. “Although, it’s kind of special just between us, isn’t it?”

Jonghyun grins and locks his phone, sitting it back on the table and looking Jinki in the eyes. His heart swells so much that he swears Jinki can hear it beating, carrying on in perfect time with the rhythm of his own.

“They can wait. Tonight will be just for us,” he whispers as he leans in, as he kisses Jinki once more. 

His lips tingle from it; tangible sparks coming alive and dancing across their skin all the way down to their fingertips. They’ve come together for something bigger than both of them know, and it radiates through every touch. 

“I love you,” Jonghyun pulls away to say.

It feels too simple, but deep down he knows it’s not. It’s enough to be loved, to give love, and receive it back in return. He loves. So much.

“I love you too,” Jinki’s voice is warm and safe like a ray of sunshine. He leans in for another kiss. 

“Tell me again.”

Jinki does, over and over until they collapse on the couch in a tangle of limbs, and their voices fall into hushed whispers that only they know; secrets they hold close and won’t let go of until forever runs out.

And long after that still.  


  


**Author's Note:**

> happy new year!! hope you all find something to smile about in 2020, even if it's small. and if you had a hard 2019, take a moment to be at peace, breathe, let out the frustrations...and know you are loved
> 
> as always you can follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/charmlesstrans) and [tumblr](https://replaydebut.tumblr.com/) if you'd like <3 thank you


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